Delivery apparatus for sheets or plates

ABSTRACT

THE LOWERMOST ARTICLE OF THE PILE FROM WHICH THE SHEETS OR PLATES ARE TO BE DELIVERED IS SUPPORTED BY ITS FRONT AND REAR EDGE. A SUCTION BOX IS APPLIED AGAINST THE EXPOSED PORTION OF ITS UNDERSIDE AND IS MOVED LONGITUDINALLY IN ONE AND THE OTHER DIRECTION SO AS TO DISENGAGE THE EDGES OF THE SAID ARTICLE FROM THE FRONT AND REAR SUPPORTS OF THE PILE, WHILE THE OTHER ARTICLES OF THE PILE ARE RETAINED AGAINST HORIZONTAL DISPLACEMENT. THE SUCTION BOX IS LOWERED AND THE ARTICLE RESTING THEREON IS POSITIVELY PUSHED TOWARDS THE FEED ROLLERS OF THE MACHINE WITH WHICH THE DELIVERY APPARATUS IS ASSOCIATED. THIS SLIDING MOVEMENT MAY BE FACILITATED BY MOMENTARILY SUPPRESSING THE NEGATIVE PRESSURE WITHIN THE SUCTION BOX.

March '16, 1971 L. BONNARD DELIVERY APPARA TUS FOR SHEETS OR PLATES Filed Jan. 16, 1969 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

March 16, 1971 BONNARD 3570342 DELIVERY APPARATUS FOR SHEETS OR PLATES Filed Jan. l6, 1969 3 Sheets-Sheet 73 25. ZSq.

INVEN OR.

March 16, 1971 BONNARD DELIVERY APPARATUS FOR SHEETS on PLATES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 16, 1969 NVE OR. AM &Mimi

'United States Patent O 3,570,842 DELIVERY APPARATUS FOR SHEETS OR PLATES Louis Bonnard, Venissieux, France, assignor to Societe Jurine, Villeurbame, Rhone, France Filed Jan. 16, 1969, Se'. No. 791,743 Claims priority, application France, Jan. 26, 1968,

U.S. Cl. 271-14 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The lowermost article of the pile from which the sheets or plates are to be delivered is supported by its front and rear edge. A suction box is applied against the exposed portion of its undersde and is moved longitudinally in one and the other direction so as to disengage the edges of the said article from the front and rear supports of the pile, while the other articles of the pile are retained against horizontal displacement. The suction box is lowered and the article resting thereon is positively pushed toWards the feed rollers of the machine with which the delivery apparatus is associated. This sliding movement may be facilitated by momentarily suppressing the negative pressure within the suction box.

This invention relates to the delivery of articles in the form of sheets or plates to printing, cutting, perforating and/or folding machines and the like and it more particularly concerns the delivery of cardboard blanks for the manufacture of boxes and similar articles.

It is known to deliver the successive sheets of a pile by means of reciprocating fingers which advance at each forward stroke the uppermost sheet of the pile. The disadvantage of this method is that such fingers fail to operate correctly in the case of cardboard blanks when the latter are not perfectly flat, as for instance when they are slightly twisted. It is further known to advance the sheets by means of a suction box provided with a perforated wall which firmly retains the uppermost sheet even if the latter is not perfectly flat, but the sheet sometimes slides against the perforated wall of the suction box before being fully applied thereon by atmospheric pressure and the delivery thus becomes inaccurate.

The present invention has for its object to avoid the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art.

For this purpose the invention concerns a method for the delivery of articles in the form of sheets or plates from a pile of such articles to the feeding rollers of a printing, cutting, perforating, folding or like machine, which consists in applying suction means against the underside of the lowermost article of the pile, in displacing horizontally these suction means so as to disengage the said lowermost article from the pile while retaining the other articles against horizontal displacement, in lowering the said lowermost article, in liberating it from the action of the suction means, and in pushing the rear edge of the said article toWards the feed rollers of the machine.

The invention also includes an apparatus for the delivery of articles in the form of sheets or plates from a pile of such articles to the feed rollers of a printing, cutting, perforating, folding or like machine, comprising a support adapted to retain the pile both vertically and horizontally while exposing a substantial portion of the underside of the lowermost article of the pile between the front edge and the rear edge thereof, the said support having a rear gap through which only the lowermost article of the pile may pass, a suction box having a perforated upper wall, means to raise the said suction box so as to apply the perforated upper wall thereof against "ice the exposed portion of the underside of the said lowermost article, means to displace the suction box first rearwardly and then forwardly so as to disengage from the support first the front edge of the lowermost article, the rear edge thereof sliding through the rear gap of the support, and then the said rear edge, means to lower the suction box together with the said lowermost article, and means to push the said article on the perforated wall of the suction box toward the feed rollers of the machine.

In the accomparying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a rear elevation of a delivery apparatus according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the actuating cams of the apparatus.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are side views similar to FIG. 2, but showing the parts at two successive positions.

FIG. 6 shows curves illustrating the general operation of the apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatical view showing an embodiment of the front portion of the pile support.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the delivery apparatus illustrated comprises a U-shaped frame 1 formed with lateral cheeks la and with intermediate vertical supports lb. The latter rotatably carry a driving shaft 2 (see FIG. 2) which protrudes through one of the lateral cheeks la (right-hand cheek in FIG. 1), its outer end being connected with an appropriate driving motor not shown, or with the driving shaft of the machine with which the apparatus is associated. On this shaft 2 are mounted three actuating cams 3, 4 and 5. It is to be noted that in FIG. 1 shaft 1 is disposed just behind another shaft 18 and is only visible at its right-hand end, but the cams may be seen above and below shaft 1 8. Moreover their respective contours are clearly illustrated in FIG. 3.

The lateral cheeks la also rotatably support two upper shafts 6 and 7 parallel to the driving shaft 2. These shafts extend beyond cheeks la and on each of their outer ends is keyed an arm, respectively 8 and 9, these arms being obliquely directed upwardly, as shown in FIG. 2. These four arms are parallel to each other and they are pivotally connected with two lateral slides 10 which extend perpendicularly to shafts 6 and 7. Each slide 10 is formed on its inner side with a longtudinally extending guiding depression which receives two rollers 11 carried by a lateral member 12, these members 12 being rigidly assembled with each other by a flat section box 13. The latter has a perforated upper wall and its inner space is connected by appropriate pipes, not illustrated, with a suction line through suitable valves.

Each slide 10 forms with the corresponding arms 8 and 9, and with the adjacent check la, an articulated parallelogram actuated by shafts 6 and 7 in such manner as to raise and lower box 13 when required during the operative cycle of the apparatus. This operation is under control of the above-mentioned cam 3 which acts on a follower 14 (see FIGS. 1, 2 and 3) rotatably mounted on the end of an arm 15 keyed on shaft 6. As more particularly indicated in FIG. 3 this cam comprises a semi-circular portion and a substantially square portion adapted to raise and lower follower 14. The latter is maintained against cam 3 by appropriate spring means not illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, but which have been very diagrammatically indicated at 15a in FIG. 3.

The rear edge of the suction box 13 has two lateral lugs 13a (FIG. 2). Each is connected by a rod 16 with an arm 17, both arms 1 7 being rigidly mounted on a common horizontal shaft 18 parallel to the driving shaft 2 and supported by cheeks la. A third arm 19 keyed on shaft 19 rotatably carries at its free end a follower 20` which cooperates with the above-mentioned cam 4, as diagrammatically indicated in FIG. 3. Here again the roller or follower 19' is maintained in engagement with the periphery of the corresponding cam 4 by means of appropriate spring means, such as very diagrammatically indicated at 19a in FIG. 3. During the rotation of the driving shaft 2, this cam 4 oscillates arms 17 which impart through the connecting rods 16 a to-and-fro horizontal motion to the suction box 13 along the slides 10, irrespective of the vertical displacement of the latter under the action of arms 8 and 9. FIG. 3 shows the egg-shaped profile of cam 4.

The lateral checks la of the frame 1 further support a horizontal shaft 21 parallel to the driving shaft 2 and on each outer end of which is keyed an oscillating arm 22. In the vicinity of the free end of each arm 22 the front edge thereof, i.e. its left-hand edge in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, is recessed as indicated at 22a in FIGS. 4 and 5, so as to deternine a hook-shaped terminal finger. The shaft 21, which is Situated at the same level as the driving shaft 2, further carries a radial actuating arm 23 formed with an elongated opening 2311 in which is slidably mounted a pin Sa which protrudes laterally from the third cam 5. When the driving shaft 2 s rotated, pin Sa oscillates arm 23 together with shaft 21 and arms 22. As shown in FIG. 3, cam may be considered as a triangular crank keyed on the end of the driving shaft 2 so as positively to drive arm 23 in both directions without requiring any kind of biassing spring.

The frame 1 of the delivery apparatus above described is fixed in the conventional manner to the machine to which the sheets or blanks have to be supplied, immediately in front of the usual pair of feed rollers 24 thereof and below the supports 25, 26 of the pile of sheets or blanks to be successively delivered to these rollers. The first support is disposed near the rollers 24 and it comprises two lateral vertical arms, each having a lower rearwardly directed blade-like retaining finger 25a, The upper side of the latter is substantially horizontal while its lower side is obliquely directed so as to deterrnine an acute front edge for the finger under consideration. A blade spring 27 secured to the lower end of each arm 25 extends towards the feeding rollers 24, its front end resting on a small horizontal table 28 having its upper side disposed substantially in the plane of the gap or rollers 24.

The other or rear support 26 is also formed of two lateral vertical arms each having a flat lower retaining finger 26a directed towards the first support, but between the upper side of each finger 26a and the lower end of the corresponding arm 26 there is left an intermediate space or gap 26' (FIG. 2) the vertical width of which is slightly larger than the thickness of a sheet or blank to be delivered to the feed rollers 24 in such manner that but a single one of these sheets or blanks may be engaged into the said space. For this purpose each finger 26a extends rearwardly beyond the corresponding arm 26 and it is carried by a supporting member 261) secured to the rear side of this arm 26. Means, not illustrated, are preferably provided so as to permit of adjusting the aforesaid gap 26' in accordance with the thickness of the sheets or blanks to be delivered.

The pile A of sheets or blanks to be delivered is disposed between supports 25 and 26, the front and rear edge of the lowermost sheet a resting on the retaining fingers 2511 and 26a, as illustrated in FIG. 2. It is to be noted that while in the drawing the upper sides of these fingers have been shown as disposed at the same level above the upper side of the horizontal table 28, in actual practice it is of advantage to dispose the rear fingers 26a slightly higher than the front fingers 25a, as this will be more clearly understood below.

The operation is as follows:

At the beginning of an operative cycle the parts are as illustrated in FIG. 2. The slides 10 are at their lowermost position while the suction box 13 is at its foremost position. The oscillating arms 22 are at their rearmost position, their hook-shaped terminal fingers being ready to engage and to push the rear edge of a sheet or blank a' 4 supported by the suction box 113 and having its front edge on the small table 28. The valve which controls the negative pressure within the suction box 13 is closed; in other words this box is ineffective. This position of the parts corresponds to the vertical line O of the diagram of FIG. 6. In this dia gram curve x corresponds to the angular displacement of oscillating arms 22 (cam or crank 5), curve y to the vertical stroke of slides 10 (cam 3) and curve z to the longitudinal stroke of box 13 in slides 10 (cam 4).

The driving shaft 2 rotating clockwise in FIGS. 2 and 3 arms 22 (curve x) swing forwardly between lines O and IV, the distance between these lines corresponding to about 120 for shaft 2. They are thereafter returned to their intial rearmost position during the remainder of the operative cycle. 'Slides 10 (curve y) remain at their lowermost position between lines O and I (about 50 then they rise between lines I and III (about 90 they remain at their highermost position between lines III and V (about 220) and then they return to their intial lowermost position. As to box 13 (curve z), it moves rearwardly between lines O and II (about without however teaching its rearmost position. It remains stationary between lines II and IV (about 40) and during the remainder of the cycle (about 240 it terminates its rearward stroke and then returns progressively to its intial foremost position.

Between lines O and IV the oscillating arms 22 push the lowermost sheet or blank a' towards the gap between rollers 24 which feed it into the machine (FIG. 4), this sheet or blank a' being maintained on table 28 by springs 27. During this period box 13 moves backwards, but since its inner space is not under negative pressure, sheet a' may slide freely on the upper wall of the said box. When the rear edge of sheet a' has left box .13, as shown in FIG. 4, slides 10 rise and the upper wall of box 13 engages the lower side of the lowermost sheet or blank a of pile A.

Box 13 is connected with the source of negative pressure shortly after line IV so as to take hold of sheet a and during its residual rearward stroke it pulls the latter rearwardly through space or gap 26', as indicated in FIG. 5. As a result of this displacement of sheet a, the front edge thereof leaves fingers 25a which now retain the front edge of the next sheet. During this period arms 22 begin their rearward stroke.

During the remainder of the operative cycle box 13 is progressively returned to its foremost position of FIG. 2 together with sheet a which is still firmly applied against the upper side thereof by the action of the inner negative pressure. Owing to the blade-like section of fingers 25a, the front edge of the sheet is deviated below these fingers. In actual practice this is facilitated by disposing fingers 26a at a slightly higher level than fingers 25, because with such an arrangement the next sheet (i.e. the sheet immediately above sheet a) is slightly curved and that therefore the front edge of sheet a becomes slightly spaced from the underside of this next sheet, as shown in FIG. 5.

When slides '10 are returned to their lower most position, arms 22 have almost ended their rearward stroke and their terminal fingers are behind the rear edge of sheet a when the latter is lowered to the level of table 28. The connection between box 13 and the source of negative pressure is then closed. The operative cycle is thus completed and the parts are again at the initial position of FIG. 2.

When the sheets or blanks are not perfectly plane, i.e. when they have a degree of twist, the force resulting from the action of the suction box is generally sufiicient to flatten their rear portion and thus to ensure correct operation of the apparatus. It is however to be noted in this respect that when a number of sheets of the pile A are noticeably twisted it may occur that their front edges do not rest properly on the fingers 25a and that therefore the front edge of the sheet a being advanced may strike one of the said fingers. As indicated in FIG. 7 this may be avoided by pivotally connecting the arms 25 with the ends of a pair of normally horizontal parallel bars 127, 129 so as to form therewith an articulated parallelogram, the upper bar 127 being pivotally supported by the frame at 128 substantially midway between the ends of the bar. With such an arrangement the front fingers 25a are free to adapt themselves to the slight deformations of the sheets.

I claim:.

'-1. An apparatus for the delievery of articles in the form of sheets or plates to the feed rollers of a printing, cutting, perforating, folding or like machine from a substantially vertical pile of such articles each having a front and a rear edge and with said pile including a lowermost article, comprising means to support the front and rear edge of the lowermost article of the pile while exposing the remainder of the underside thereof; means to retain said pile against horizontal displacement, said means being however formed with a gap through which only the rear edge of said lowermost article may slide; a suction box having a perforated upper wall on which an article may be retained under the effect of a negative pressure prevailing within said box; means to apply the perforated upper wall of said suction box against the exposed portion of the underside of said lowermost article to take hold of same; means to displace said suction box rearwardly so as to cause the rear edge of said lowermost article to slide through said gap and to disengage the front edge thereof from said supporting means; means to displace said suction box forwardly to disengage the rear edge of said lowermost article from said supporting means; means to lower said suction box together W th said lowermost article retained against the upper perforated wall of said box; and means to push the rear edge of said lowenmost article towardsthe feed rollers of the machine to cause said article to slide on said suction box until its front edge is caught by said rollers.

2. :In a delivery apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said,

supporting means comprising a pair of substantially vertical front arms to retain said pile *against forward displacement, each of said front arms having a lower end; a blade-like supporting finger extendng'rearwardly at the lower end of each of said front arms, each of said fingers having an acute rear edge and a substantially horizontal upper side to support the front edge of the lowermost article of the pile; a pair of substantially vertical rear arms to retain said pile against rearward displacement, each of said rear arms having a lower end; a forwardly extending finger disposed below the lower end of each of said rear arms at `such a distance therefrom as to leave therebetween said gap through which only the rear edge of said lowermost article may pass, each of said forwardly extending fingers having a substantially horizontal upper side to support the rear edge of said lowermost article; and means connecting said forwardly extending fingers with said rear arms while permitting rearward displacement of said lowermost article by said suction box.

3. In a delivery apparatus as claimed in claim 1 said suction box being guided and supported by substantially horizontal lateral slides and said means to displace said box rearwardly and forwardly comprising connecting rods hinged to said box, pivoted arms to which said connecting rods are pivotally attached, and means to oscillate said pivoted anms.

4. In a delivery apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said suction box being guided and supported by substantially horizontal lateral slides; and said means to apply said box against the underside of said lowermost article and to lower said box with said lowermost article thereo comprising two pairs of oscillatable parallel arms each forming with one of said slides an articulated parallelogram permitting vertical displacement of said one of said slides while retaining same at a substantially horizontal position, and means to oscillate said arms so as to raise and lower said slides in uniso together with said suction box.

5. In a delivery apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said means to push the rear edge of the lowermost article disengaged from said supporting means comprising fingers to engage said rear edge, oscillating arms each carrying one of said fingers, a common shaft on which said oscillating arms are mounted, and means acting on said common shaft to oscillate said oscillating arms.

6. In a delivery aparatus as claimed in claim 1, a stationary frame; a rotary driving shaft supported by said frame; a first cam on said rotary driving shaft to actuate said means to apply the perforated upper wall of said suction box against the exposed portion of the underside of said lowermost article and also said means to lower said suction box; a second cam on said rotary driving shaft to actuate said means to displace said suction box rearwardly and said means to displace said suction box forwardly; and a third cam on said driving shaft to actuate said means to push the rear edge of said lowermost article towards the feed rollers of the machine.

7. 'In a delivery apparatus as claimed in claim 1, a table disposed in front of the feed rollers of the machine to slidably support said lowermost article when the rear edge thereof is pushed towards said feed rollers.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,524,417 10/1950` Bamber 271-32X 2,567,223 9/ 1951 Maher et al. 217 32 EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner J. WEGBREIT, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X. R. 271-32, 44 

